I was taught never to express my opinion, never to question anything. I was taught to simply follow what the government told me to do or say or think.
-- Narrator (Part 1: Chapter 1 paragraph NA)

Importance: Yeonmi describes the teaching of North Korea that was most difficult for her to overcome once she earned her citizenship in South Korea. Once she was in a position where it was important for her to have an opinion, Yeonmi found having to think for herself the most tiring and distressing part of her freedom.

And because she had a poet’s heart, she felt an enormous emotional connection to the official propaganda. She sincerely believed that North Korea was the center of the universe and that Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il had supernatural powers.
-- Narrator (Part 1: Chapter 2 paragraph NA)

Importance: Yeonmi describes her mother’s devotion to the North Korean regime. Because Keum Sook lived during a period of time when the government did...